The blaze broke out at about 5 a.m. at the old King's Court Motel on National Trails Highway next to the Antique Station and could be seen as far away at Interstate 15 and D Street, according to officials.

"We were working on renovating the motel," Nancy Brooklier, owner of the motel and antique store property. "It's heartbreaking."

According to Brooklier, the motel was built around the 1940s.

An unidentified woman reportedly had a medical emergency while firefighters were trying to put out the flames.

"She was treated at the scene by firefighter and (American Medical Response) paramedics but refused to be transferred to a local hospital," Jay Hausman, spokesman for the fire department said.

Fire engines from Victorville and Adelanto converged on the early-morning fire and quickly had it under control, he said.

There are about six units in the old motel and two of those were destroyed, Brooklier said.

"The roof to one of the units collapsed and we had to pull some of the roof out to get to the fire inside the room," he said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Brooklier suspects it may have been intentionally set by a squatter asked to leave because of the renovation process.

Brooklier's assumptions have not been confirmed by officials.

Along with owning the antique shop and the motel property, Brooklier owns several of the older buildings along National Trails Highway.

"Our hopes are to refurbish the entire town," she said. "Now I don't know if I'll be able to save the units that weren't damaged. I have to wait to see what the county says. They may want to me to bulldoze the entire property down."

Oro Grande was established in the 1860s when a trading post was erected along what is now National Trails Highway, according to local historian and former principal of Oro Grande Elementary School, Wesley Marenezuk.

The town continued to thrive as The Mother Road, Route 66 wound it's way through the town.

"Lots of people would stay at the motel for a few days or even a week on their way to their destinations on Route 66," Brooklier said.

But Monday's set back has not deterred her from going forward with her plans to renovate the town.

"It's not going to stop me but this is very sad," she stated.

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Beatriz E. Valenzuela may be reached at (760) 951-6276 or at BValenzuela@VVDailyPress.com.